Week 6: The Beat Rolls On for the Unbeatens/Record Chasers

 Week 6 is in the books and the beat rolls on for the undefeated teams, although San Jose had a hard fought game with Memphis. On the record breaking front, Glen Hampton had 210 receiving yards to continue to be ahead of the pace of the record, while Don Ferguson threw 5 more TD passes in New Jersey's win. I want to give props to Armored Giraffe who has Oklahoma currently in the #6 seed with a 4-2 record. The once proud franchise has fallen on hard times since the CoachNorm days of the late 80's, but the Outlaws are no longer an automatic win.

Gamblers 41 Express 10

Los Angeles held their own against the champs for most of the first half before the Gamblers pulled away to remain unbeaten. Tony Dean threw 3 TD passes to Jett Black in the first half and continued the momentum into the second half as Houston scored 24 unanswered points after Los Angeles pulled within 17-10 in the 2nd qtr. Express QB David Tavarez threw 2 of his 3 INTs in the second half while Tony Dean was in MVP form. Dean completed 18/24, 395 yards and 5 TDs while Jett Black caught 7 for 258 yards and 4 TDs. After the game, Dean said "I was getting sick of all of this talk about Glen Hampton and Don Ferguson chasing records. Why don't they come chase these rings? I don't need to throw 50 passes a game to get 5 TDs and Jett Black is the best receiver in the league in my opinion." Wow, ok Tony, lighten up dude. 

Generals 38 Stallions 7

New Jersey was dominant on both sides of the ball today as the Generals defense held Birmingham to 110 total yards, allowing less than 17 minutes of possession. They only produced 1 turnover and no sacks, but they held Norman Maldonado below 50% completions and allowed 1.11 ypc on the ground. Offensively, New Jersey had their average game, 512 total yards with 115 on the ground. Don Ferguson completed 45/59, 407 yards, 5 TDs and 1 INT, spreading the ball to 10 different receivers. Rookie WR Happy Gilmore caught 2 TDs while RBs David Koresh and Kurt Cobain led in receiving and rushing yards, combining for 270 yards between them. Ferguson was asked after the game about Tony Dean's comments, "I'm not worried about what Tony said, I'm just trying to help my team win football games. I've been chasing a ring from the beginning, and we've been close, but we just have to keep fighting week in and week out. As far as how many passes I throw, I just run the plays coach calls. If I get the TD record, that would be awesome, but the only record I care about is making my team 3-4 in the World Bowl."

SaberCats 23 Showboats 16

Memphis and San Jose played a defensive first half, with each team getting a pair of FGs for a halftime score of 6-6. As the 3rd quarter wound down, Rodney Richardson cracked the end zone on a short run to give San Jose a 13-6 lead. Memphis would get a FG to cut it to 13-9 before David Hartwig's 3 yard TD run increased the SaberCats lead to 20-9 with 6:36 on the clock. Memphis QB Erik McNamee then threw a quick INT, allowing San Jose to add 3 more points. That FG drive drained the clock and Memphis did score a TD with 5 seconds left, but that wasn't enough to prevent the SaberCats from improving to 6-0.

Gold 20 Invaders 3

Denver was missing their leading rusher, Eric Younker, who was nursing an injury, but the Gold RBBC didn't miss a beat. Denver ran 41 times for 115 yards, and their efficient passing attack allowed the Gold to hold the ball over 39 minutes. The defense held Oakland to 185 total yards and intercepted a pair of 4th quarter passes to win a divisional game and improve to 6-0. The Gold got a 1 yard Brian Turner TD run and a 6 yard TD pass from Andrew Brewer to Gary Cortez for their touchdowns. I'd talk more about the Denver players, but they spread the ball around to several different guys so nobody stood out. All they do is win apparently.

(NY) Stars 27 VooDoo 3

New York got productive games from their big 3 of Damien Oleary, Albert Olson and William Hall while the Stars defense held New Orleans to 240 total yards and a late FG to improve to 5-1. QB Oleary completed 27/34, 352 yards and 3 TDs, 2 to Albert Olson, who caught 6 for 148 yards total. The other TD pass went to RB William Hall, who caught 8 for 94 yards. Hall had little success on the ground, 20 yards on 16 carries but that was still good to give him 114 total yards today. 

Federals 24 Maulers 9

Washington's offense broke out a little today as their 24 points are a season high. The Federals ran 34 times for 142 yards and Scott Bieber had a solid game aside from an INT. Jayson Shepherd and Johnathon Fuller ran for TDs and the Washington defense made life rough for Pittsburgh QB Paul Marcum. The Federals didn't sack him, but they intercepted him twice, allowing just 9/20 passing for 56 yards. It's hard to win with passing stats like that unless you run for like 200 yards, which the Maulers did not. The win gives Washington sole possession of first in the Atlantic.

Outlaws 10 Gunslingers 7

An ugly game for both sides but there are no ugly wins for Oklahoma as far as they are concerned. The Outlaws win a slugfest despite 3 turnovers to improve to 4-2, the latest they have been over .500 since the late 80's. San Antonio RB Charlie Shanks led the Gunslingers in rushing (67 yards) and receiving (69 yards and a TD), but his TD catch was all the points they could muster. Oklahoma K Eric Chandler broke the tie with a 52 yard FG in the 4th qtr and the Outlaws defense made it stand up for the win.

Renegades 47 Bandits 26

The Southeast division continues to be a 3 team race with Orlando, Florida, and Jacksonville all 4-2. Tampa Bay is falling off the pace after close losses started turning into bigger losses the last 2 weeks. It's always tough relying on a rookie QB to win games, and even tougher when that rookie chucks up 65 passes. Nicholas Irvine completed 31/65, 332 yards, 2 TD and 4 INT while the Bandits ran 9 times all game. To be fair, Orlando built up a big first half lead, 30-6, so they were in catch up mode quite a bit. The Renegades scored the first 5 times they had the ball, although 3 of those were FGs. Orlando QB Trey Lyons completed 26/36, 345 yards, 4 TD and 2 INT, with those TDs going to 4 different receivers. Roger Bostic led the way with 6 catches, 140 yards. Orlando MLB Alton Miller put the icing on the cake with a 25 yard INT return TD late in the 4th.

Bulls 24 Hawaiians 21

For 3 quarters Jacksonville and Honolulu played a back and forth, competitive game before the 4th quarter became a comedy of errors. Hawaiians RB Anthony Davis had 181 combined yards, 95 on the ground, and his first rushing TD of the game gave Honolulu a 7-0 lead. Jacksonville came back with a FG and a 62 yard Derek Joyce TD to Leon Gutierrez for a 10-7 Bulls lead. Derek Henry got the lead back for Honolulu with a 15 yard TD pass to Pedro Main, but Joyce got the lead back in the final minute of the half. Joyce found William Morrison with a 17 yard TD and Jacksonville led at the half 17-14. Anthony Davis got the lead back for the Hawaiians with his 2nd TD run but soon after Joyce found Leon Gutirrez for another long TD. This one went 53 yards, giving the Bulls a 24-21 lead with 2:45 left in the 3rd. The 4th quarter saw Derek Henry throw 3 INTs but Jacksonville couldn't add points, losing a fumble and missing a FG when they didn't have to punt. Nobody scored in the 4th, so Jacksonville holds on for the win. Derek Joyce finished the game 28/40, 342 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT while Leon Gutierrez caught 6 for 201 yards and 2 TDs.

Blazers 31 Sun 13

Florida QB Willie Graham threw for 3 TDs, all in the first half as the Blazers got out to a 24-10 lead. Graham completed 15/23, 245 yards and 3 TDs for the game while Freddy Jones was the leading receiver with 5 catches, 121 yards and a TD. Southern California QB Harold Angulo threw back to back INTs to start the 2nd half but Florida couldn't extend their lead. The Sun got within 24-13 thanks to a FG early in the 4th but they would get no closer. Robert Romero increased his league leading rushing total with 170 yards today, and his 47 yard TD run at the 2 minute warning put the game away for good.

Storm 41 Wranglers 6

Portland continued their roll, winning their 3rd straight game, all by 20 points or more. Melvin Driggers completed 41/52, 357 yards and 5 TDs and the Storm RBBC ran for 112 as they held the ball over 42 minutes. WR Richard Robinson was the leading receiver with 95 yards and 3 TDs on 9 receptions and the Portland offense converted 9/15 3rd downs and had 5 TDs and 2 FGs in 7 red zone trips. Defensively, Portland held Arizona to 131 total yards, forcing 3 turnovers and no red zone trips. Wranglers kicker Brian Haworth made a pair of 50+ yard FGs to avoid the shutout.

Bell 23 Force 19

Georgia WR Glen Hampton continued to be the focal point of the Force offense, catching 8 passes for 210 yards and 2 TDs. The lack of an effective running game is hurting the offense however, as Georgia converted just 1/7 3rd downs and had 19 rushing yards on 12 carries. Philadelphia had their ground game working though, running for 166 yards on 37 carries. Jamie Epperson led the way with 100 yards rushing and a TD while Charles Weymouth ran for 55 and caught 6 for 88 yards to lead the Bell in receiving. Sidney Maggard completed 26/37, 306 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT for Philadelphia while Georgia's Thomas Jacobi completed 23/32, 399 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT. Georgia led 16-14 at halftime on the 2 Hampton TDs and a FG, and one of the XP tries was no good. Philadelphia kicked a pair of FGs in the second half to 1 for Georgia, as the Bell took a 23-19 lead with 10:22 to play. Georgia punted and Philadelphia kept the ball the last 7:49 on a 15 play, 81 yard drive to preserve victory.

Blitz 16 Wheels 10

Detroit got a FG on their opening drive and a Gabriel Flanagan 4 yard TD pass to Matthew Houston in the final minute of the first half as the Wheels took a 10-0 lead. Chicago bounced back in the second half with a pair of long TD passes by Ronald Brown to Ian Gordon while the defense shut Detroit down. Gordon finished the game with 5 catches, 149 yards and those 2 TDs. The come from behind win gives Chicago sole possession of first in the Midwest.

Panthers 25 Thunderbolts 12

Cleveland had a miserable offensive day, amassing 131 total yards and producing just 3 offensive points. The Thunderbolts TD came on a 102 yard kickoff return by Andre King and the defense recorded a safety late in the game to round out the Cleveland scoring. Offensively, Michigan had 470 yards as Will Allison completed 30/45, 337 yards and 2 TDs while Lawrence Schroeder ran for 101. Michigan had 24 first downs to just 7 for Cleveland and the Panthers converted 9/17 3rd downs as they improve to 3-3, tied with Cleveland one game behind Chicago.

Steamer 23 Breakers 13

The Shreveport defense intercepted Larry Henderson deep in Boston territory and George Marcil put the Steamer ahead 7-0 with a 13 yard TD pass to Milton Schwab. A FG would put Shreveport ahead 10-0 before George Cade cut the deficit to 10-7 with a short TD run. Shreveport would add another FG for a 13-7 halftime lead and that was our score in the 4th after a scoreless 3rd quarter. Boston got a FG to get within 13-10 before Scott Randall took a handoff and raced 76 yards to the end zone for a back breaking TD. Each team would add a FG for our final score of 23-13 Shreveport. The Steamer had the ground game in high gear as Milton Schwab ran 20 times for 124 yards and Randall ran for 115 and that TD on 8 carries. The passing game was mostly dink and dunk for the Steamer, but that powerful rushing performance saw them out gain Boston 364-174 and their 3-3 record is good for a share of first in the South with Birmingham.

Hornets 13 Stars 10 (OT)

Both teams ran the ball quite a bit, though Charlotte had a balanced attack while Baltimore threw just 12 passes all day. The Stars got an 87 yard TD run by Wm Jones midway through the 2nd qtr for a 7-0 lead they took into halftime. Charlotte cut it to 7-3 with a 3rd qtr FG but Baltimore answered with one of their own for a 10-3 lead. The Stars held that lead until the 2 minute warning, when their offense stalled deep in their own end of the field and a 26 yard punt return set up the Charlotte offense in Baltimore territory. Jeremy McDonald threw the game tying 8 yard TD pass to William Bonner with just 0:12 seconds on the clock and we were headed for extra football. Baltimore got the ball first and punted, then Charlotte drove into FG range. Javier Gill was good from 30 yards out and the Hornets sweep Baltimore. 

Week 5: World Bowl Rematch

 Washington traveled to Houston for a rematch of our last 2 World Bowls and the results were all too familiar for the Federals. The Gamblers won the game to improve to 5-0 and still looking like the favorites to win the World Bowl this season. San Jose, Denver, and New Jersey also won to maintain undefeated records while the New York Stars fell in OT to Shreveport for their first loss of 1996. Albert Olson gained a little bit of ground on Georgia's Glen Hampton in the race to possibly break the single season receiving record, although Hampton did register his 5th 100 yard game of the season. We have a player suddenly on pace to break another record, New Jersey QB Don Ferguson. No, it's not for interceptions, although with 11 in 5 games he could make a run at that too. Ferguson threw 6 TD passes against Philadelphia today and he now has 22, an average of 4.4 per game. Portland's William Hill has had the record 63 TD passes since 1980, and nobody else has come within 7 since. Ferguson is also the first QB to 2,000 yards on the year, but that's still way off the pace of our record of 7,803, also set by William Hill in 1980. 

Gamblers 24 Federals 9

Washington had a chance for a small measure of revenge against a Houston team that has beaten them the last 2 World Bowls. The Federals defense is still playing at a championship level but the offense is mired in a slump. Washington held the Gamblers running game in check and intercepted Tony Dean 3 times in the first half, but the Federals offense couldn't take advantage, turning it over three times themselves. Houston did take advantage of a couple short fields and led 24-0 at the break. The second half was uneventful for Houston as they mostly went three and out, but Washington could only muster 3 FGs as the Gamblers hold on for the win. Washington's offense is ranked 29th through 5 weeks and they will need to get better on that side of the ball if they want to get back to the World Bowl. RB Lloyd Ellis led Houston in rushing (55 yards) and receiving (5-116-1).

Gold 24 Force 10

Georgia threw almost exclusively, rushing 7 times for 5 yards, but the aerial attack led to a low time of possession and the Force defense got worn down by Denver's running game. It didn't help that a pair of Georgia receivers not named Glen Hampton lost fumbles trying for yards after the catch. Speaking of Hampton, he had another 100 yard game, catching 5 for 104 and a TD as he continues to lead the league and chase the all time record. Denver RB Eric Younker lost the lead among the league's top rushers, but he still had a solid game with 69 yards on the ground and catching 4 passes for 50 yards and a TD that gave the Gold a 7-0 lead. Hampton's TD tied it for the Force, then Denver went on a time consuming TD drive and Andrew Brewer's TD pass to Steven Riley made it 14-7. Georgia was about to answer, advancing the ball inside Denver's 10, but a lost fumble derailed that scoring chance. Denver then ran out the clock to end the first half, then came out for the 3rd quarter with a 14 play, 71 yard TD drive that took nearly half of the quarter. That drive ended with the 2nd Brewer to Riley TD pass. Georgia would get a FG to cut the lead to 21-10, but their last 3 drives ended with a fumble, interception, and turnover on downs as Denver hangs on for the win.

SaberCats 34 Blitz 3

San Jose RB David Hartwig rushed for 3 TDs, 1 short of an Al Bundy (4 TDs in a single game) which has happened 8 times in league history. Hartwig only had 64 yards on the ground, but he was just 1 part of an effective RBBC that had 138 yards in all. Jake Plummer had a solid game, completing 27/38, 365 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT and he spread the ball around to 9 different receivers. The SaberCats converted half of their 3rd downs (7/14), kept the ball nearly 36 minutes and had 3 TDs in 5 red zone trips. Chicago did not have a successful offensive day, gaining 248 total yards with no red zone trips and 3 Ronald Brown INTs. 

Generals 51 Bell 27

New Jersey QB Don Ferguson is falling back into his bad habits, throwing 8 INTs the last 2 games, yet the Generals are still undefeated because those turnovers have been balanced by 11 TDs and 911 passing yards the last 2 games. Today, Ferguson completed 34/46, 468 yards, 6 TDs and 3 INTs, throwing 2 TDs to both Franklin Cherry and Sam Beckett. New Jersey also ran the ball for 130 yards at over 4 ypc, allowing the offense to hold the ball almost 35 minutes. Cherry ended the day with 155 yards and fellow WR Duncan Meyer had 120. Philadelphia tried to keep it close, but New Jersey went on a 20-0 scoring run after the Bell took one of Ferguson's INTs to the house to trail 21-14 in the 2nd qtr. 

Steamer 10 (NY) Stars 7 (OT)

New York fumbled the ball away on their first drive and George Marcil took advantage of the short field with a 2 yard TD pass to Herbert Young. Midway through the 4th, it looked as if the Steamer would increase their lead but Marcil was intercepted in the end zone by Danny Devito's cousin Patrick. New York's offense wasn't very good today, aside from Albert Olson. They took over on their own 18 with 2:27 to play, down 7 and had their best drive of the day. Damien Oleary led them down the field in 9 plays, finding Olson on the last one for a 12 yard TD to tie the game at 7. Shreveport got the ball first in overtime and was forced to punt. New York went nowhere and punted as well, but had another chance after the Stars defense got Shreveport off the field. Oleary threw an INT and the Steamer had the ball in instant FG range. The offense pulled a Jon Gruden and ran a few plays, milking the clock while thousands of fans watching at home screamed at their TVs to kick the damn ball already (true story, I was yelling at Gruden to kick the damn ball against Miami yesterday). When they finally let Jeffrey Smith on the field, he split the uprights with the 37 yard kick and Shreveport knocks the Stars from the ranks of the inbeaten.

Express 19 Panthers 17

Los Angeles out gained Michigan by 113 yards, had twice as many red zone trips, won the turnover battle 1-0, and converted 8/18 3rd downs, yet they didn't take the lead for good until the 2 minute warning. The Express only managed 9 points (3 FGs) in 4 red zone trips while Will Allison converted both of Michigan's trips into TD passes to Harvey Williams. The second TD gave Michigan a 17-13 lead late in the 3rd but Los Angeles would kick a pair of FGs to win the game. The game winning kick was set up by a William Hutchings fumble that Los Angeles recovered at the Panthers 18. Michigan had one last drive for the win but they went nowhere, turning it over on downs. The Express then ran the remaining clock for victory.

Outlaws 17 Showboats 6

Memphis had 395 offensive yards but scored just 6 points as the Showboats came up empty in 3 red zone trips. Memphis QB Erik McNamee completed 30/49 for 370 yards with 3 INTs while Paul Davis caught 6 passes for 168 yards. Oklahoma QB Carlos Williams completed 20/29, 233 yards, 2 TD and an INT as the Outlaws never trailed today. The Oklahoma offense didn't produce a 100 yard rusher or receiver, but they get the win. Their 3-2 record might get lost in the pile of 3-2 teams, but this is the best Outlaws team since the late 80's.

Hawaiians 10 Sun 9

Each team turned the ball over 3 times but Honolulu managed to find the end zone once, winning a close game against Southern California. RB Anthony Davis rushed for exactly 100 yards and QB Derek Henry tossed a 10 yard TD pass to Harold Main for the Hawaiians offensive highlights. That TD plus a FG were just enough to overcome 3 William Ferguson FGs for the victory. 

Storm 34 Invaders 3

Portland is finally starting to look like the Storm we expected to see as the defense kept Oakland under 200 total yards while the offense had nearly 500 in a lopsided win. Melvin Driggers completed 38/47, 359 yards, 3 TD and an INT, with the top 2 RBs also the top 2 receivers. Jeffrey Frost ran for 86 yards and caught 6 for 101 and a TD while Jose Moses ran for 31 yards and a TD with 5 catches covering 102 yards. A Robinson caught Driggers' other 2 TD passes, but it wasn't All Pro WR Richard, rather TE Ken Robinson. Driggers completed passes to 10 different receivers and Portland improves to 3-2.

Thunderbolts 25 Wheels 3

Cleveland's defense helped the offense get off to a fast start in a divisional game against Detroit. Two plays in and Gabriel Flanagan threw an INT and Tony Romo cashed in the short field with a 22 yard TD pass to Edward Maloney for a 7-0 lead. The Thunderbolts defense then forced a few punts in a row and Cleveland turned those into 3 FGs and a 16-0 lead. In the 3rd quarter, Flanagan was sacked in the end zone, increasing Cleveland's lead to 18-0. The Wheels avoided the shutout with a 4th qtr FG, but Cleveland would add a 4 yard Howard Rouse TD run as Cleveland takes the win. 

Renegades 30 Bulls 10

Orlando seems to have righted the ship after starting 0-2, as the turnovers are coming from their defense now, and the Renegades have won 3 in a row for a 3 way tie atop the Southeast. Orlando intercepted Derek Joyce 3 times and recovered 2 fumbles to win the turnover battle 5-1. Trey Lyons threw 3 TD passes versus that 1 INT, finding Jose Rush twice for scores. Lyons threw for 296 yards in all while Rush rushed for 63 yards to lead Orlando, ending the game with 119 yards thanks to 56 receiving. In addition to the 5 turnovers, they held Jacksonville to 1/12 on 3rd down and just 23 minutes of possession.

Blazers 21 Breakers 14

Robert Romero and the Florida defense led the Blazers to the win over Boston to claim a share of the 3 way logjam atop the Southeast. Romero rushed for 102 yards, taking the league lead in that category, and he was the team's leading receiver as well. QB Willie Graham struggled against the Breakers pass defense, throwing for just 116 yards and 2 INTs, but the Breakers' Larry Henderson was worse. Boston brought in Larry Henderson to be their new starting QB, and one of his problems when he played for Michigan was throwing multiple INTs too many times. The first half saw just 2 Florida FGs as the Blazers led 6-0 at halftime. The 3rd quarter was scoreless but Boston took a 7-6 lead on a Brian Thornton 8 yard run with 6:18 to play. Boston would later have the ball inside their own 10 when Henderson threw his 2nd INT of the game. Brian Gusman took it into the end zone for a TD and the 2 point run by Romero made the score 14-7 Florida. Henderson would tie the game before the 2 minute warning on a 29 yard pass to Ralph Harris and got the ball back after a punt. The Breakers were backed up deep again, but rather than play for OT, Henderson tried tp pass out of the hole and was intercepted again. James McCormick picked it off at the 5 and took it into the end zone for another Blazers defensive TD. Boston would have a final drive but they turned it over on downs as Florida steals the win.

Stallions 35 Bandits 10

Norman Maldonado completed 31/37, 356 yards and 4 TDs to lead Birmingham to victory. The Stallions were ball hogs, holding the ball 41 minutes, rushing 42 times. They only managed 111 yards on all those carries, yet converted 9/15 on 3rd down to keep the Tampa Bay offense off the field. Felix Nguyen and Francis Schultz caught 2 TDs apiece and Birmingham got out to a 20-0 lead. Tampa got within 20-10 by halftime but couldn't sustain any drives in the second half. Birmingham improves to 3-2, good for first in the South.

Maulers 13 Hornets 3

Pittsburgh opted for a run heavy game plan, rushing 55 times for 166 yards while attempting just 14 passes. It worked for ball control purposes as the Maulers did not turn the ball over while the Maulers defense intercepted 2 passes and recovered a fumble. The run heavy approach only netted 6 points through 3 quarters though, and the Maulers found themselves in a dogfight, 6-3 game despite dominating play. Pittsburgh finally cracked the end zone inside the 2 minute warning on a short Ronald Smith run and the Maulers come away with the win to improve to 3-2 and a share of first in the Atlantic.

VooDoo 14 Wranglers 5

New Orleans earns their first win of 1996 in a defensive struggle with Arizona. The teams combined for 470 total yards, although both teams ran the ball decently. Receivers just weren't getting open down the field and/or the QBs couldn't find them when they did get open. The 2 QBs combined to complete 51/70, but for only 330 yards. Predictably, the run, dink and dunk approach didn't produce many points as each team scored just twice. Arizona sacked Ellis Soza in the end zone for a safety and they would get a FG, but Soza threw a TD pass to John Gill and one of their Donald Browns scored a rushing TD and the VooDoo win 14-5.

Gunslingers 19 Stars 13

San Antonio and Baltimore were both looking for their first wins of the season and after 3 quarters, it seemed as if the Gunslingers would win easily. San Antonio led 16-3, but Baltimore scored 10 unanswered points in the 4th to get within 16-13. The Stars offense couldn't get into scoring range on their final two drives, and the Gunslingers hold on to erase the zero from their win column. San Antonio had 5 red zone trips, scoring just 1 TD against 4 FGs and would have had that to blame had Baltimore completed the comeback. Charlie Shanks ran for 90 yards to lead the Gunslingers rushing attack for the only stat line worth mentioning.   

Week 4: Five Unbeaten Remain, Hampton nears 1,000 receiving yards already

 Will the all time, single season receiving record fall again? Glen Hampton had an average game...for him anyway with 246 yards, giving him 981 yards through 4 games. That's on pace for 3,924 yards, which would obliterate Albert Olson's 2,835 from last year. As noted in the Houston Chronicle, the Gamblers have the #1 ranked defense in the league to go with their usual high powered offense, and it might be difficult for any team to prevent a 3rd straight Houston World Bowl Victory Parade. The Gamblers took care of the Gunslingers to improve to 4-0, and they join San Jose, Denver, New York, and New Jersey in the undefeated club. The Memphis Showboats were shown the door, asked to leave that club after a hard fought defeat at the hands of defending National Conference Champs Washington. We have several weeks before New York and New Jersey play each other, and the only other possible game of unbeatens could happen later in the season, if San Jose and Houston keep it going. 

Gamblers 33 Gunslingers 10

The tone was set in the first quarter as the Houston offense had 3 nearly identical TD drives to start the game while the defense forced three and outs as the Gamblers led 21-0 2 plays into the 2nd. The first 2 TDs were Tony Dean to Hugh Chance TD passes, culminating an 8 play, 75 yard drive and a 9 play, 74 yard drive. Donald Turner capped off the 3rd drive with a 3 yard TD run on the 9th play of that 87 yard journey. Houston let their foot off the gas, kicking FGs the rest of the way as they improve to 4-0. Tony Dean completed 28/34, 363 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT while RB Lloyd Ellis led the receivers with 11 receptions for 117 yards. Fellow RB Donald Turner had a solid game, rushing for 68 yards and a TD, adding 4 catches for 65 yards.

Federals 17 Showboats 12

Memphis had more scoring chances than Washington, but the Federals were able to score a pair of TDs and a FG to win a tough game against the previously unbeaten Showboats. Memphis took an early 3-0 lead after a 10 play, 82 yard drive stalled, then the defense provided a pair of golden scoring opportunities thanks to intercepting Scott Bieber twice. Each time the Memphis offense failed to move, settling for FGs and a 9-0 lead. Washington got within 7 on their next drive as Scott Bieber found Ronald Matthews with a 48 yard TD pass. Memphis would add a 4th Gary Ridgeway FG to lead at the half 12-7. Washington didn't get much out of their running game today, but Jayson Shepherd scored on an 11 yard run to cap the Federals' first drive of the second half. The XP was good and Washington enjoyed their first lead of the game, 14-12. Memphis drove inside the Federals 10 yard line late in the 3rd, and would have at least had a FG opportunity except QB Erik McNamee was intercepted in the end zone by Kevin Armistead. The Washington defense made sure that was their last scoring opportunity as the Federals hang on for the win, improving to 3-1.

Gold 20 Thunderbolts 17 (OT)

Judging by total yards, Denver should have crushed Cleveland as the Gold had 495 yards to just 183 for the Thunderbolts. Denver opened up their passing game a bit after being a run first team the first 3 weeks. Andrew Brewer threw for 353 yards, with WR Steven Riley catching 7 for 149 yards. Brewer was intercepted 3 times however, and the Gold also lost a pair of fumbles for a 5 turnover game. Tony Romo knows turnovers, but he only threw 1 today, while capitalizing on 2 of Brewer's mistakes to lead short TD drives. Romo's first TD was 32 yards to Matthew Martin, the second, 1 yard to Andre King. Denver RB Erik Younker leads the league in rushing through 4 games, and he scored a 5 yard TD run in between Romo TD passes as Cleveland led 14-7 at the half. 

Denver scored a FG in the 3rd to get within 14-10, then late in the 4th, Andrew Brewer found Brian Turner with a 4 yard TD pass to take a 17-14 lead. Andre King then had a nice kickoff return, allowing the offense to start at their 33 with 1:10 to play. Romo used all of the clock but he got them within the range of Carlos Reed, who nailed a 52 yard FG at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime. In the extra session, Cleveland punted, then Brewer and the running game drove the Gold into game winning FG range. Robert Deacon split the uprights from 43 yards out and Denver improves to 4-0.

Generals 41 Wheels 34

New Jersey, to Denver: "hold my beer". The Generals aren't impressed by the Gold winning despite 5 turnovers because they beat Detroit despite 6. Unfortunately some habits are hard to break and I knew it was a matter of time before Ferguson had a multi turnover game like this. The game started off like normal, Detroit drove for a TD, then New Jersey did the same. Then came the exchange of gifts, as Detroit QB Gabriel Flanagan threw an INT and they lost a fumble leading to 10 New Jersey points. Don Ferguson didn't want to be rude, so he threw INTs on back to back plays, leading to 14 points for the Wheels. The gift giving stopped for the half, with Detroit getting 3 points and New Jersey getting 7 and we were tied at 24 going into halftime.

In the 3rd quarter, Ferguson's 3rd INT led to another short field for Detroit, and the Wheels turned it into 7 points for a very brief lead. Ferguson giveth, and Ferguson taketh away, as he found Franklin Cherry on the next offensive play for a 75 yard TD that tied the game at 31. Ferguson then threw INT #4, which ended up being harmless until the next drive started at the Generals 4 yard line after an excellent punt. No matter for Ferguson and Cherry, as they liked their long TD so much they did it again for 96 yards to take the lead for good, 38-31. Ferguson INT #5 resulted in a Kent Olden FG, but 38-34 would be as close as Detroit got the rest of the way as the Generals manage to hold on for the win.

For Detroit, Gabriel Flanagan threw for 332 yards, 4 TDs and 2 INTs on 35 completions. Flanagan spread the ball around as 4 receivers had between 50 and 81 yards. For New Jersey, Don Ferguson was 27/40, 443 yards, 5 TDs, 5 INTs and his favorite receiver was Franklin Cherry who caught 5 for 219 yards and 3 TDs. RB Kurt Cobain had 200 combined yards on 127 rushing and 73 receiving.

(NY) Stars 31 Bell 11

Stars WR Albert Olson was asked after the game if he was concerned about Glen Hampton possibly breaking his receiving record. Olson said "No, not at all. Last year was a great personal year for me but we only won 5 games. We already have 4 wins, so if losing my record means more wins for the team, Hampton can have it. He is having a great season, props to him." Olson got the scoring underway early, catching a 66 yard TD in the game's first minute for a 7-0 lead. Olson would only have 60 more yards for the game as QB Damien Oleary found some of his teammates, completing 27/34 for 362 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT. RB William Hall scored New York's 2nd TD on a short run. Hall had 141 combined yards, rushing for 69 yards and that TD, while catching 8 for 72 yards and another score. His TD reception came in the 3rd quarter, extending a 21-0 halftime lead to 28-0. Philadelphia finally started to move the ball late in the 3rd quarter, getting a FG, TD and 2 point conversion, but the huge, early deficit was too much to overcome.

SaberCats 48 Blazers 20

Florida got off to a blazing start in this game as Willie Graham tossed a pair of TD passes for a 14-0 lead. Jake Plummer led San Jose to a TD drive to cut the lead in half, then Florida tacked on a FG for a 17-7 lead. San Jose and Plummer then went on a prolonged scoring run, getting 24 points in the 2nd quarter alone for a halftime lead of 31-17. The SaberCats didn't score as much in the second half, but they did out score the Blazers 17-3 to win 48-20. Jake Plummer completed 24/29, 363 yards, 4 TD and 1 INT. Eric Tanner caught 2 of the TD passes and Mark Hsu led the receivers with 140 yards and a TD. The San Jose running game had 125 yards and TDs from David Hartwig and Frank Huber, and Huber also caught a TD pass. 

Blitz 17 Panthers 9

Chicago started the game fast as Ronald Brown hooked up with Ian Gordon for 2 long scoring plays for a 14-0 1st qtr lead. The first one covered 63 yards, the second one 82, but those were the only 2 passes Gordon would catch all day. Fast forward to late 3rd quarter with Michigan trailing 14-6 after a pair of FGs. The Panthers offense was finally sustaining drives, getting deep into Blitz territory 3 times in the 4th quarter. The first time they settled for a FG to trail 14-9. The next drive, they went for a 4th and 2 just outside the red zone and failed, turning it over on downs. The next Michigan drive was another turnover on downs, but this one was in their own end of the field, and the Blitz were able to add 3 points for a 17-9 lead. Michigan needed a TD and a 2 point conversion and Will Allison nearly pulled it off. Allison had the Panthers at the Chicago 15 with 35 seconds left but they turned the ball over on downs as the game clock expired, allowing Chicago to hang on for the win that gives the Blitz sole possession of first in the Midwest.

Bulls 15 Bandits 9

Jacksonville and Tampa Bay decided to have a kicking contest, with some scrimmage plays mixed in for good measure. Only one player had a stat line worth mentioning, Tampa Bay WR Luis Dean, no relation to Tony, caught 8 for 150 yards. Each team kicked 3 FGs in the first half while Jacksonville made the only 2 FGs of the second half to win the kicking contest 5-3. Tampa Bay is just 1-3, but a break here or there, they could be 4-0. The Bandits have now lost 3 straight 1 score games, two being OT losses. 

Breakers 19 Force 16 (OT)

Boston has played 4 games now, and 3 have involved the top 2 WR in the league. The Breakers are done with New York already, having played Albert Olson and the Stars twice in the first 3 weeks, and now they face Glen Hampton of Georgia. Hampton is averaging a hair above 245 yards a game after his 9-246-1 stat line today, aided greatly by his 95 yard TD reception. The rest of Georgia's drives didn't end so well as Thomas Jacobi threw 3 INTs, including a crucial one in OT. Larry Henderson didn't produce any big plays for Boston, but he also didn't turn the ball over, completing 30/40 for 235 yards and a TD. The Breakers tied the game at 16 with a FG in the final minute of regulation, then won with a FG in the extra session after Jacobi's 3rd INT allowed Boston to take over at the Force 40. 

Storm 32 Steamer 12

Portland didn't need a punter today as every Storm drive ended with points or a turnover. Portland ran the ball 36 timed for 203 yards, yet converted only 1/9 3rd downs. Jeffrey Frost led the way with 130 on the ground and he caught one of two Melvin Driggers TD passes. RB Jose Moses caught the other one in a balanced game for him, rushing for 52 yards and gaining 51 through the air. Richard Robinson had a big game, catching 7 for 192 yards. Portland won the game, but the Storm were far from sharp, converting only 1 of 5 red zone trips into a TD as Donald Atkins made 6 FGs in all. Shreveport put up 325 yards on the Portland defense, led by RB Scott Randall who led the Steamer in rushing (78 yards) and receiving (68 yards). They fell behind 10-0 though, and couldn't get closer than 7 the rest of the game.

Renegades 28 Maulers 19

Orlando got off to a 7-0 lead after a 13 play opening drive covering 75 yards ended with a Trey Lyons TD pass to Arthur Devore. The Renegades 3rd drive covered 97 yards but only resulted in an 18 yard FG, but Orlando did enjoy a 10-0 lead. The script flipped for a bit as Orlando stopped scoring and Pittsburgh started, getting 4 Brett Bowman FGs, all 46 yards or longer, for a 12-10 lead. Midway through the 4th, Chad Magana took a handoff and raced 80 yards for a Maulers TD and a 19-10 lead. Orlando RB Anthony Milan wasn't much of a factor in the passing game, but he did catch a TD pass from Lyons to cut the lead to 19-17. The Renegaded defense forced a punt which Milan returned 28 yards, setting up a short field. Milan then capped the drive with a short TD run and Jose Rush ran in the conversion as Orlando took the lead back 25-19. Paul Marcum then threw an INT, allowing Orlando to tack on a FG for our final score of the game. 

Wranglers 19 Hawaiians 15

Arizona's defense came up with 2 big plays and the Wranglers scored the last 12 points of the game to take the win from Honolulu. The Hawaiians offense moved the ball well behind Anthony Davis, who ran for 94 yards and a TD, adding 87 receiving. The Hawaiians had to settle for FGs in the first half though, taking a 9-0 lead at the half. Honolulu was driving for more points in the 3rd qtr when Brian Parsons caught a pass but fumbled trying to advance the ball. William Clardy forced the fumble, scooped it up and ran 76 yards for an Arizona TD. Anthony Davis then got his rushing TD but the XP was no good, so the Hawaiians lead was 15-7. Late in the 3rd, Brian Carmichael found Elias Williams for a 69 yard TD, but they opted to kick the XP to trail 15-14 heading into the 4th. The Wranglers would get a Brian Haworth FG for a 17-15 lead with under 5 minutes to go. As we neared the final minute, Henry was sacked in the end zone by Curtis Prevatte for a safety that sealed the win for Arizona.

Stallions 24 VooDoo 3

Birmingham got 3 TD passes from Norman Maldonado and 93 yards rushing from Francis Schultz as the Stallions get a division win over New Orleans. WR Felix Nguyen caught 2 of the TDs among his 6 for 111 yards. New Orleans RB Harry Charles did his best to keep the VooDoo in the game but he got little help from his offensive teammates. Charles ran for 48 yards on 11 carries and was the leading receiver, catching 9 for 68, for a combined 116 yards. New Orleans had 200 team yards, so everyone else accounted for just 84 yards. 

Express 31 Sun 17

Los Angeles were ball hogs today, holding the ball over 41 minutes, yet led by just 6 heading into the 4th quarter. David Tavarez threw the first of his 3 TD passes on the opening drive and 2 subsequent FGs gave the Express a 13-0 lead after a quarter. Harold Angulo got the Sun within 13-7 with a 19 yard TD pass to Matthew Tipps. Los Angeles scored the next 10 points for a 23-7 lead before the Sun added a FG near the end of the half, and our score at the break was 23-10 Express. Midway through the 3rd, Angulo's 2nd TD pass got Southern California within 6 points. David Tavarez capped the scoring with his 3rd TD pass, 2nd to Gary Sappington and Tavarez was good on his 2 point pass as the Express now led 31-17. The defenses of both teams took over from here as Los Angeles gets the victory. 

Hornets 23 Stars 3

Charlotte and Baltimore were both looking for their first wins of 1996 and the Hornets got out to a 6-0 lead thanks to a pair of 50+ yard FGs by Javier Gill. Then David Delgadillo had the first punt return TD of the season in the league, taking it 80 yards to the house and a 13-0 Charlotte lead. The Hornets got the ball to start the 3rd and Jeremy McDonald got Charlotte another TD right away, finding Dennis Baird for a 75 yard score. Those 2 big plays by Charlotte was too much for the rebuilding Stars to overcome.

Outlaws 6 Invaders 3

For the most part, I try to stay positive when writing the blog, but some games make it extremely hard to do. This was one of those games. Both teams combined for 329 yards and 1/29 on 3rd down. Five total fumbles, 4 of them being turnovers. Oklahoma won the game with 2 FGs to just 1 for Oakland. The Invaders kicker missed one of his tries and the Outlaws won despite just 3 total first downs and 129 offensive yards. 

Week 3: 6 Undefeated Remain and Hampton Leaving Olson Behind

 We started the week with 9 undefeated teams and we end the week with 6 as Honolulu, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh all suffered their first defeat of the young season. Honolulu and Cleveland both lost to 0-2 teams, while Pittsburgh had to face our champs Houston. The Gamblers won handily to improve to 3-0, joining San Jose, Denver, division rival Memphis, New York, and New Jersey as the 6 teams 3-0. WR Albert Olson is still on track to break his own receiving yards record from last season, but he is already 174 yards behind Glen Hampton. While Hampton is still riding the 420 yards from Week 1, he has gone over 130 yards every game, with today's 131 his floor so far. His 735 through 3 games is on pace for 3,920 yards, nearly 1100 yards more than the current record. Our top 3 rushers are on pace for Top 20 all time rushing seasons, as we have had just 9 rushers reach 1,600 yards and 7 more had between 1,500 and 1,599. Denver's Erik Younker has 317 yards so far while Florida's Robert Romero has 299. Charlie Shanks of San Antonio is 3rd with 281 yards, on pace for 1,499. We have 3 kickers on pace to challenge John Bazile's record of 50 FGs in a season. Cleveland's Carlos Reed is 11/11 while Florida's Gerald Harmon has also made 11, but with 3 misses as well. Robert Rodriguez of San Jose has made 10/12, then we have several tied with 8 FGs. We have 3 players averaging 1 sack a game and 3 players averaging an INT per game, proving there is some defense being played.

Gamblers 40 Maulers 0

Pittsburgh traveled to Houston in a battle of undefeated teams. The Gamblers are the defending champs while the Maulers were thought to be in rebuilding mode so it's no surprise the Gamblers took care of business. The Houston defense made like for Paul Marcum, intercepting him 3 times and holding him to 98 yards through the air. Donald Turner and Lloyd Ellis combined to rush for 101 yards, with Turner gaining 54 and scoring twice. Turner also caught 5 passes for 62 yards and another TD, giving him 3 scores and 116 total yards. Tony Dean had a Tony Dean type game, 24/31, 344 yards and 2 TDs, and CJ might need to start using Tom Brady pics instead of Jim Kelly to rep Dean here. 

Showboats 27 Outlaws 22

Erik McNamee and Paul Davis hooked up for a pair of 1st quarter TD passes as the Showboats took a 14-0 lead. Oklahoma fought back with 10 unanswered 2nd quarter points on a FG and a Carlos Williams TD pass to Craig Icenhour. Memphis got the only points of the 3rd quarter on the 3rd McNamee to Davis TD pass for a 21-10 lead. Early in the 4th, Williams threw his 2nd TD pass to Craig Icenhour but the 2 point try failed so the Showboats led 21-16. The ensuing kickoff went to the back of the end zone but Omar Jenkins ran it out anyway. He got nailed at the 10 yard line, losing the ball and watching as Anthony Powell scooped the ball up and took it into the end zone. Once again the 2 point try failed, but Oklahoma now led 22-21. From that point, the game saw several punts until the final minute. Memphis took over at their own 35 and Erik McNamee threw his 4th TD pass of the game, a 65 yard catch and run to Mark Glenn. The Showboats went for 2 and failed but they now held a 27-22 lead. Oklahoma had time to score, but their drive stalled near midfield and Memphis holds on for the win. 

(NY) Stars 14 Breakers 7

The Southwest is not the only division with 2 undefeated teams as the East has New York and New Jersey tied at the top at 3-0. Albert Olson had been on a ridiculous pace with his receiving yards through 2 games, but Boston showed he is human after all, holding him to 70 scoreless yards on 5 receptions. Both offenses struggled today, as they each turned the ball over twice in the first half as the Stars led 6-0 on a pair of FGs. The 3rd quarter saw more offensive struggles and the scoreboard didn't change until early in the 4th. That's when Damien Oleary found Stanley Hart with a 21 yard TD pass for a 12-0 lead. Oleary passed for the 2 point conversion to increase the lead to 14. Boston avoided the shutout in the final 30 seconds with a Larry Henderson TD pass to Ralph Harris. Even if the onside kick was successful, the Breakers would have had precious little time to tie the game.

Generals 38 Steamer 16

New Jersey was without their #1 RB David Koresh as he is nursing a knee injury. Koresh is one of the most talented RBs in the league when he is on the field, but so far in his young career he has had trouble staying on the field, averaging 11 games a season. Good thing for the Generals they had Kurt Cobain and Dr. Sam Beckett to pick up the slack for the Waco Warrior. Cobain ran for 111 yards and led the team in receiving yards with 74 while Beckett scored 3 TDs. Shreveport did a good job defensively against the Generals WR group as 23 of Don Ferguson's 34 completions went to RBs or TEs. Ferguson threw 3 early TD passes to give New Jersey a 21-6 lead in the 2nd quarter, but the Steamer cut the lead to 21-13 by halftime. RB Herbert Young got that score for Shreveport on a 7 yard pass from George Marcil, and Young had a combined 143 yards to lead the Steamer in rushing and receiving yards today. The 3rd quarter plus the first play of the 4th saw an exchange of FGs and a 24-16 Generals lead but the Steamer could get no closer. New Jersey put the game away with a pair of Beckett TDs in the final 2:33, one receiving, one rushing.

SaberCats 16 Bandits 13 (OT)

San Jose tried hard to lose their first game of the season as they turned the ball over twice and missed 2 FGs but the SaberCats were able to escape with the OT win. Tampa Bay has a young team that's playing hard and are just a play here or there from being 3-0. Their second consecutive OT loss though makes the Bandits a tough luck 1-2. San Jose scored first on a Frank Huber TD run and Nicholas Irvine tied it for Tampa Bay with a short scoring toss to James Morse. San Jose added a FG for a 10-7 halftime lead and a FG in the 3rd to extend the lead to 13-7. The Bandits came back with 2 FGs of their own to tie the game at 13 with less than 6 minutes to play. San Jose had a chance to win the game in the final minute, but Robert Rodriguez was wide right on a 42 yard FG try and we were headed for extra football. San Jose got the ball first in OT but went 3 and out. Tampa Bay did the same and the SaberCats had good field position. One 34 yard pass later and Robert Rodriguez trotted on the field, and his 37 yard kick split the uprights for the San Jose win.

Gold 13 Invaders 6

Denver's passing game isn't producing like it used to but the defense and running game have been very strong so far in their 3-0 start. Denver has the league's #1 rushing attack, led by Erik Younker, who had 98 yards on the ground and caught a TD pass as well. The box score was pretty even, and Oakland actually led time of possession with a better 3rd down conversion rate, but it's hard to cross the end zone against the Gold. Denver has allowed just 19 points through 3 games, and only 1 TD as Oakland suffer their 2nd straight one score loss.

Express 27 Hawaiians 6

Los Angeles is the team that scored the lone TD against Denver this season, but that matters little when you're 0-2 and traveling to Hawaii to play the 2-0 Hawaiians. It's hard to say a game is a must win in Week 3, but this fits the bill as a loss would put Los Angeles 3 games behind two teams and make the road to the playoffs very difficult. The box score had some similarities, some differences, and even some differences in the similarities. Los Angeles led the yardage 350-301, rushing yards 85-82, both teams made 2 red zone trips and had success converting 3rd downs, 7/16 for Honolulu, 6/14 for L.A. The differences were turnovers and time of possession as Derek Henry threw 3 INTs to the Express defense and L.A. kept the ball 35 minutes. While the rushing yards were nearly even, it only took the Hawaiians 13 carries to get their 82 yards while the Express got their 85 yards on a whopping 41 carries. Red zone results were different too, as Honolulu kicked FGs on both of their trips, the Express cashed in TDs on their 2 trips. Add it all up and it equals a Los Angeles victory.

Sun 20 Thunderbolts 16

Cleveland came into the game 2-0, and they got off to a fast start against 0-2 Southern California. Tony Romo threw a 53 yard TD pass to Andre King, then added a FG following an interception by Sun QB Harold Angulo for a quick 10-0 lead. Cleveland would extend that to 13-0 before Southern California mounted a rally. Angulo threw a short TD pass to Mark Littlejohn in the final 2 minutes of the half to trail 13-7, then continued the momentum in the 3rd with a 4 yard Littlejohn TD run and a FG for a 17-13 Sun lead. Cleveland would kick a FG to get within 1, but the Sun answered with their own FG and Cleveland's last drive ended in the Sun red zone after a turnover on downs. That was the 5th red zone trip for the Thunderbolts, and a little more success on one of the previous 4 could have resulted in a game winning FG opportunity instead of having to go for it on 4th down. Cleveland had 3 FGs and a lost fumble their other red zone trips, leading to the loss.

Blitz 27 Wranglers 20

Ronald Brown completed 26/39 for 276 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT to lead Chicago to the win over Arizona. Brown spread the ball around to 9 different receivers and John Gates led the Blitz rushing attack with 73 yards and a TD. Arizona hung with Chicago early before the Blitz pulled away to take a 27-13 lead halfway through the 4th. Brian Carmichael completed 28/43 for 204 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT. Both of Carmichael's TD passes went to Michael Jones, with the last one coming inside the 2 minute warning to get the Wranglers within 7 points. The onside kick failed and Chicago ran out the clock for the win.

Panthers 23 Wheels 13

Detroit took a 13-7 lead into halftime thanks to a Gabriel Flanagan TD pass to Larry Rickard and a pair of Kent Olden FGs. Overall, Flanagan completed 32/49, 323 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT, with most of the damage coming the first 15 minutes. Michigan converted just 2/13 3rd downs, relying on the big play. Through 3 quarters, the only big play for the Panthers was a 40 yard TD pass from Will Allison, and that came on the first play of the 2nd quarter. Doing this blog, I see every box score, and perhaps it's just selective memory, but it seems to me we have an abnormally high number of scores happening with 15:00 left in the quarter. Lightning struck twice for Michigan, as the first play of the 4th saw Allison find Harvey Williams for a 59 yard TD to give the Panthers their first lead of the game. Allison found Williams again later in the 4th for a 71 yard score to essentially put the game away. Allison finished 21/33, 332 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs, with Williams leading the receivers with 5 catches, 158 yards and those 2 4th qtr TDs.

Bulls 20 VooDoo 19

Jacksonville and New Orleans played a pretty even game with similar box scores and a spread the wealth offensive approach. Each team used 3 RBs in their RBBC and the VooDoo had 8 different players catch passes, Jacksonville ten. The most remarkable thing I saw in the box score was New Orleans has 2 RBs named Donald Brown. The VooDoo took the lead first at 3-0 before Derek Joyce's TD pass to Leon Gutierrez gave the Bulls a 7-3 lead. New Orleans bounced back with a pair of FGs and an Ellis Soza TD pass to David Barfield for a 16-7 halftime lead. Derek Joyce's 2nd TD pass cut the lead to 16-14, then the VooDoo extended the lead to 19-14 entering the 4th. Jacksonville responded with a pair of FGs in the 4th, the last one coming with 1:04 left to give Jacksonville a 20-19 lead and the VooDoo couldn't quite get into FG range before time ran out.

Blazers 27 Stars 6

Robert Romero ran for 121 yards, Stephen Hannah ran for 69 and 2 scores and the Blazers defense forced 3 turnovers to lead Florida to the win. Baltimore actually ran for a much better average but the turnovers and early deficit didn't allow the Stars to stick with it. Stephen Ponder tried to lead a comeback but he threw 2 INTs and went 1/11 on 3rd down. Florida wasn't much better on 3rd down, 3/13, but they were still able to control the clock with their running game, holding the ball nearly 36 minutes.

Force 23 Storm 22

Portland traveled to Georgia to face the Force and USFL leading receiver Glen Hampton. Portland out gained Georgia by over 100 yards and converted 8/16 3rd downs but scored just 1 TD in 4 red zone trips. The Storm ran for 161 as a team led by Jose Moses' 85 but the Force defense shut down WR Richard Robinson to the tune of 1 catch for 16 yards.Thomas Jacobi threw for 243 yards and 2 TDs, with Glen Hampton catching one of the scores among his 6 for 131 yards to lead the Georgia offense. The first half saw alternating scores: Portland FG, Georgia TD, Portland TD, Georgia TD, Portland FG, and the Force led 14-13 at halftime. That lead was extended right away in the 3rd as Daniel Franks took the kickoff 107 yards for a TD. The XP was no good, making the new score 20-13. The rest of the half was all FGs, and the last score was a Storm FG with 4:09 left to make the score 23-22 Georgia. The Force ran out the remaining clock and kneeled down twice at the Portland 1 yard line rather than run up the score at the end of the game.

Federals 17 Gunslingers 13

Washington had trouble running the ball while San Antonio had trouble passing and the teams alternated scores throughout the game. The Gunslingers ran for 206 yards as a team, led by Charlie Shanks with 144 yards and a TD. Federals QB Scott Bieber completed 21/23 for 239 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT with WR Andrew Favela leading the receivers with 127 yards and a TD. San Antonio scored first for a 3-0 lead, Washington tied it, San Antonio then went up 3 again before Bieber's 1st TD pass made the score 10-6 Washington. That was our halftime score and Shanks got his rushing TD in the 3rd for a Gunslingers 13-10 lead. Scott Bieber's TD pass to Favela came early in the 4th, giving the Federals a 17-13 lead that the defense was able to hold onto for victory.

Bell 43 Stallions 35

Philadelphia had been in a 2 game offensive slump but they broke out of it in a big way today, and needed every bit of it as the Bell defense showed cracks as well. Philadelphia had 518 yards, Birmingham 512, and they combined for 10 TDs, 5 each. There wasn't much defense played today, but the Bell got out to a 2-0 lead after Norman Maldonado was sacked in the end zone by Richard Donofrio. Sidney Maggard followed that up with a pair of TD passes for a 16-0 lead. Birmingham got a TD of their own before the 1st was over to trail 16-7. The Bell won the 2nd quarter 10-7 to take a 26-14 lead into halftime. Norman Maldonado threw a pair of 3rd qtr TD passes with the 2nd making the score 29-27 Philadelphia, so they went for 2. That failed, but Maldonado led another TD drive while also converting the 2 point try for a 35-29 lead with just under 10 minutes to play. Sidney Maggard took the lead back right away with a 75 yard TD pass to Craig Hines and the pair followed that with another TD to take an 8 point lead. Maldonado drove the Stallions inside the red zone but couldn't convert on 4th and goal from the 6 and Philadelphia hangs on for the win.

For Birmingham, Norman Maldonado completed 30/48, 407 yards, 4 TD and 1 INT. Joseph Oliver was the leading receiver with 6 catches, 160 yards and 3 TDs while RB Francis Schultz was a dual threat, rushing for 73 yards and a TD, adding 5 catches for 98 yards and another TD. Speaking of dual threats, Philadelphia RB Jamie Epperson had 200 combined yards, rushing for 73 and a TD with 6 catches, 127 yards and another TD. Sidney Maggard was 28/39, 439 yards, 4 TD and 1 INT and Craig Hines was his favorite receiver. Hines caught 9 balls for 195 yards and 3 TDs.

Renegades 13 Hornets 9

Orlando continues to be plagued by turnovers, losing 3 more today for a season total of -10 turnover margin. The Renegades were +18 a year ago while winning the division. Today they were able to overcome the mistakes thanks to a stifling defense and RB Anthony Milan. The defense held Charlotte to 188 total yards and keeping the Hornets out of the end zone all day. Anthony Milan led the Renegades in rushing and receiving, combining for 145 yards and a 1st qtr Trey Lyons TD pass to Roger Radke was the difference on the scoreboard as that was the only TD of the game. Orlando gets the win to improve to 1-2.

Week 2: Albert Olson On Pace to Shatter His Receiving Record, as is Glen Hampton

 Week 2 is in the books and we lost nearly half of our undefeated teams, as we now have 9 teams 2-0. New York Stars WR Albert Olson set the all time league record with 2,835 receiving yards, or 177 a game. We are only 2 games in, but Olson is averaging 245 yards a game, yet he is 2nd in the league behind Glen Hampton. The Georgia WR has 604 yards through 2 games, on pace for over 4,800 yards. He is also on pace for 40 TD receptions, which would shatter Mark Hsu's record of 29. Interesting stuff to keep an eye on as we move deeper into the season.

Gamblers 30 Blitz 19

Chicago had a rough schedule out of the gate, having to face the champs a week after defeating 3 time champ Portland in Week 1. Blitz RB John Gates had 212 combined yards and a receiving TD at the start of the 2nd quarter to give Chicago a 13-7 lead. Houston got their 7 on a Tony Dean 72 yard TD pass to Hugh Chance, more on them later. The next 3 scores were FGs, with Houston kicking 2 before halftime to tie the game at 13, then in the 3rd, Chicago took the lead back on a FG by Evan Joseph. Tony Dean took the lead right back with TD #2 to Chance, this one 57 yards. Chicago cut the lead to 20-19 with Joseph's 4th FG of the game but the 4th quarter belonged to the Gamblers. Tony Dean opened the 4th with a 49 yard TD pass to Hugh Chance, their 3rd scoring connection of the game. Chance only caught those 3 passes but fantasy football players love the 3-178-3 stat line. Dean finished with 306 yards while Donald Turner and Lloyd Ellis provided a solid 1-2 punch in the running game as the champs improve to 2-0. Don't sleep on Chicago now their schedule should lighten up some.

Outlaws 16 Federals 6

Oklahoma wasted little time taking a 7-0 lead as Carlos Williams found Craig Icenhour with a 59 yard TD pass on the second play of the game. The Outlaws got a FG on their next drive for a 10-0 lead before we saw a steady stream of punts on both sides. The second half came and Washington finally moved the ball a little bit, although Scott Bieber threw an interception before they settled for a pair of FGs by Steve Jones. That's as close as the Federals would get, as the Outlaws defense kept Washington out of the red zone and end zone all day, and added a late FG for the final margin. Very good win for the Oklahoma franchise, but the Washington fans have to be flooding sports talk radio with questions about what's wrong with their offense.

SaberCats 47 Sun 0

This game was over early as Southern California turned the ball over on their first 4 possessions, while San Jose turned those into a 20-0 lead. The onslaught never stopped as the SaberCats built the lead to 30-0 by halftime and 44-0 after 3, helped tremendously by 3 more Sun turnovers. San Jose's RBBC ran well, with 163 yards on 36 carries and Jake Plummer threw for 298 yards and 4 TDs. WR Mark Hsu led the way with 2 scores and 127 yards receiving as San Jose improves to 2-0.

Hawaiians 19 Renegades 7

Orlando's rough start continued today as the Renegades had 4 more turnovers, giving them 8 through 2 games while the defense has forced just 1. Orlando did have an early 7-3 lead after Trey Lyons found Jesse Carr for a 44 yard TD, but Honolulu led 9-7 at the half thanks to 3 FGs by David Owen. Late in the 3rd quarter, Derek Henry threw a 9 yard TD pass to Anthony Graves, extending the lead to 16-7 and the defense closed it out for the victory. Both teams spread the ball around rushing and receiving so there are no notable stat lines to highlight.

Gold 31 Express 13

Denver ran for 194 yards as a team today and actually lowered their average per game. RB Erik Younker added 78 yards to his league leading rushing total and scored a TD as well, while Jerry Murphy added 69 yards. Andrew Brewer didn't need to do too much, but he did complete 17/24 for 217 yards and 3 TDs, 2 to newly acquired WR Steven Riley. The win improves Denver's record to 2-0.

Showboats 14 Gunslingers 7

San Antonio took a 7-0 lead on a Robert Fanelli 6 yard TD pass to Guadalupe Bennett late in the 1st quarter. Erik McNamee tied the game for Memphis with a 27 yard TD pass to Paul Davis a few minutes later. The game stayed 7-7 until the 4th quarter, when Memphis capped off a 12 play, 94 yard drive with McNamee's 2nd TD pass, this one going to William Fey. San Antonio's last 2 drives ended with a missed FG and an INT, while Memphis missed a pair of FGs that could have increased their lead. The Showboats are 2-0 regardless.

Thunderbolts 19 Panthers 13

Cleveland traveled to Michigan for an early season game to determine the leader of the Midwest. Michigan took an early 7-0 lead cashing in a Lawrence Schroeder short TD plunge to cap a 6 play, 75 yard drive. A couple of punts later, Tony Romo tied the game for the Thunderbolts with a 45 yard TD pass to Ferdinand Lee. Romo bounced back after throwing 3 INTs in last week's 19-13 win over Philadelphia, completing 17/22 for 245 turnover free yards. Cleveland did lose 2 fumbles, but they converted 7/16 3rd downs compared to 4/16 for Michigan. Those extended drives allowed Cleveland to kick 4 FGs to 2 for the Panthers for their second consecutive victory by a 19-13 score.

Maulers 23 Stars 17

Pittsburgh and Baltimore played a competitive, back and forth game with the Maulers getting some fortunate bounces to improve to 2-0. That's good for sole possession of 1st place in the Atlantic, and while it's early, it's significant in that Pittsburgh has struggled ever since Tribewriter left. Washington and Baltimore had owned this division, except for TW's 3 seasons leading the Maulers to a wildcard spot. RB William Obrien had 2 TD runs for Pittsburgh while Wm Jones scored twice for Baltimore, once on the ground and once through the air. Stephen Ponder found Jones for that passing TD with 5:29 left in the game to pull Baltimore within 20-17, and they kicked away hoping for a defensive stop. Instead, the Maulers had an 11 play, 38 yard drive that took all of the remaining clock, booting a FG as time expired to win by 6. 

(NY) Stars 36 Wheels 3

The New York defense held Detroit to 216 total yards and sacked Gabriel Flanagan 4 times as they allow the Wheels only 3 points today. The Stars ran the ball a lot more this game after just 1 rush last week, and they barely passed 2 ypc, gaining 77 yards on 36 carries. QB Damien Oleary completed 19/24, 459 yards and 4 TDs, with you know who doing most of the damage. Albert Olson just keeps getting better as he caught 7 for 285 yards and 3 scores today, although he is just 2nd in the league in receiving yards. New York is off to a 2-0 start and hope to continue to build momentum so they can take the East title from New Jersey.

Generals 37 Bell 2

Philadelphia has ran into some early season offensive woes as their defense has produced 9 points compared to 6 from the offense. The Bell's lone points today came when they tackled David Koresh in the end zone early in the 3rd quarter, trailing 21-0. That safety did not spark the offense as New Jersey held Sidney Maggard below 50% completions, intercepting him twice and forcing a fumble. Philadelphia did shut down the Generals running game, allowing 24 yards on 26 carries, but the Bell defense had no answer for Don Ferguson. The Generals QB faced some competition for his job as the team signed Antonio Martinez this offseason, although his INT problems were worse than Ferguson's. The veteran has responded so far as Ferguson was 32/43, 462 yards and 5 TDs for the game, with no INTs. WR Franklin Cherry had 129 receiving yards and 2 scores while RB Kurt Cobain caught 7 for 128 and a score. Eric Davis also had 2 receiving TDs to help New Jersey improve to 2-0.

Bulls 13 Bandits 10 (OT)

Tampa Bay is starting a rookie QB, and games like today go with the territory. Both teams struggled to consistently move the ball but rookie Nicholas Irvine got the Bandits on the board first with a 42 yard TD to Willie Dubreuil. Jacksonville cut it to 7-3 with a 2nd qtr FG, but Tampa Bay got those 3 points back in the 3rd. The Bandits had a chance to extend the lead to 10 points early in the 4th, but a missed FG kept the score 10-3. Jacksonville would tie the game inside the 2 minute warning on a Derek Joyce 12 yard TD pass tp Tyron Bailey. There was enough time to force a punt and try a 57 yard FG at the end of regulation but the kick was short and we were headed for OT. Jacksonville got the ball first and punted, then Irvine threw an INT. That one didn't cost them the game as the Bandits defense held firm, but the ensuing punt pinned Tampa Bay at their own 6. Irvine promptly threw another INT, allowing Jacksonville to kick the game winning FG. 

Breakers 27 VooDoo 23

There were 5 lead changes in this game as Boston and New Orleans took turns on top. Boston scored first on a 4 yard run by Joshua Estes in the 1st, but New Orleans scored 10 in the 2nd for a 10-7 halftime lead. Boston came out of the locker room for the 3rd quarter and immediately took the lead on a 75 yard TD pass from Larry Henderson to George Cade. Ellis Soza answered with his 2nd TD pass for New Orleans to give the VooDoo a 17-14 lead. Boston tied the game with a FG late in the 3rd, but New Orleans kicked a pair of FGs in the 4th to take a 23-17 lead just inside the 2 minute warning. Larry Henderson needed just 2 plays to get the lead back for Boston on a 64 yard TD pass to Anthony Temple. New Orleans then turned it over on downs, allowing Boston to kick a FG for a 4 point lead. The VooDoo got to midfield on their final drive before time ran out and Boston holds on for the win.

Steamer 31 Force 17

It looks like Shreveport studied film and were ready for Georgia's aerial attack, although Glen Hampton still went off for 184 yards and a TD on 6 receptions. The Steamer defense forced Thomas Jacobi into 3 INTs while also recovering a pair of fumbles, eventually building a 31-7 lead. Newly acquired LB Nathaniel Elliott led the team in tackles while new RB Scott Randall chipped in 91 combined yards. The Steamer didn't run the ball particularly well but they stuck with it, rushing 46 times for 124 yards. George Marcil kept the chains moving with his 25/32 passing day, throwing for 212 yards and 4 TDs, and Shreveport hogged the ball for nearly 40 minutes.

Blazers 29 Hornets 14

Florida's defense forced Charlotte QB Robert Ament into 4 INTs, holding the Hornets to 2/12 on 3rd down and allowing less than 22 minutes of possession. The Blazers ran for 174 team yards with Robert Romero accounting for 116, and the ground success made it easy for QB Willie Graham, who completed 18/20 passes for 2 TDs. Florida led 16-0 at the half, then scored 10 more after a Charlotte TD for a 26-7 lead with 5:34 to play. The win improves Florida to 1-1. 

Storm 34 Stallions 23

Portland was determined not to start 0-2 as Melvin Driggers got the Storm off to an early 14-0 lead with a pair of TD passes to Richard Robinson. Norman Maldonado cut the lead in half with a TD pass to Joseph Oliver before a Jose Moses TD run put the lead back to 14 points at the 2 minute warning. . Francis Schultz then returned the kickoff 86 yards for a TD but Portland added 3 at the end of the half to take a 24-14 lead into the locker room. Portland would extend the lead to 34-14 after scoring a TD and a FG in the 3rd qtr while a late Birmingham rally fell short. Norman Maldonado completed passes to 10 different receivers, Melvin Driggers 9, but that didn't stop Richard Robinson from catching 8 passes for 126 yards and 2 TDs in addition to his unexpected kickoff duties. RB Jose Moses added 2 rushing TDs for the Storm offense.

Wranglers 16 Invaders 10

Arizona wins a defensive struggle as they made life rough on rookie RB Dale Wild. The Wranglers held him to 39 yards on 25 carries and forced him to fumble once, more on that later. Both offenses struggled to maintain drives and the first half saw nothing but FGs, with the Wranglers making 3 of the 4 for a 9-3 lead at the break. Late in the 3rd quarter Andrew Moreno led the Invaders to the only offensive TD of the game, a 7 yard pass to Charles Brockman. Arizona's offense had moved the ball decently in the first half, but the second half was a different story as the Invaders allowed the Wranglers just 1 first down and 17 yards. Oakland's lead didn't last long however, as Dale Wild lost his fumble, which Curtis Prevatte scooped up and went 17 yards for a TD to give Arizona a 16-10 lead. Late in the 4th Oakland had a 1st and goal from the 4 but turned it over on downs after they failed to crack the end zone. The ensuing three and out meant Oakland's last drive would start near midfield, but they couldn't muster a first down let alone a TD and Arizona hangs on for the win.

 

Week 1: Season #23 Begins

 Welcome to season 23 of USFL/WFL football. All 32 teams start 0-0 and 31 of them are hopeful they can do what the Houston Gamblers have done the last 2 seasons...win the World Bowl. Normally our All Pro Team would have been announced already, but the company that prints the ballots left us hanging and scrambling to find another printer. It's not as easy as going down to Kinko's, as we have had fake ballots in the past, so the league office uses one of just 3 printing companies in the U.S. that can handle the security features we need imbedded in the ballot for authenticity's sake. Remember, it's 1996 not 2021, so there aren't many companies with this technology yet. We have been in contact with one of the others and should have those ballots ready soon. 

That's obviously a made up story, but time/energy has been an issue for me this offseason. Just when I get a little bit of both, I decide to join a league and the recent allocation draft took all of my attention, I even missed free agency 2 in Quick and the Dead. I'm slowly getting back to my normal routine so please bear with me. Let's check out Week 1 action.

Gamblers 31 Hornets 3

Houston's first drive of 1996 went 75 yards in 10 plays for a 7-0 lead, then the sloppiness set in for a little bit. Houston's defense wouldn't allow Charlotte to take advantage and the talent of the Gamblers eventually got the better of the Hornets. Lloyd Ellis rushed for 116 yards on just 9 carries while Tony Dean completed 26/37 for 309 yards and 2 TDs to lead the champs to victory.

Federals 13 Bulls 3

Washington's offense took awhile to get going, finally putting together back to back scoring drives in the 3rd quarter to take a 10-3 lead. The Federals defense limited Jacksonville's passing attack but were vulnerable on the ground, allowing the Bulls to run for 136 yards. Scott Randall did most of the damage with 90 yards in his last game as a Jacksonville Bull, as he was traded to Shreveport along with MLB Nathaniel Elliott for 3 first round picks and a 2nd. Elliott forced a fumble and led the defense with 15 tackles.

Generals 26 Renegades 23

Orlando had a chance to get some revenge on New Jersey after the Generals knocked the Renegades out of the playoffs last year, hosting the Generals in the home opener. Don Ferguson led New Jersey to TDs on their first 2 drives while Trey Lyons threw 4 first half INTs as the Generals led at the half 20-3. Lyons nearly brought Orlando back in the 2nd half, throwing a pair of TDs and finishing with 431 yards passing but the early deficit was too much to overcome. Don Ferguson ended the day 33/44, 380 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT while RB David Koresh had 147 combined yards and a TD.

Blitz 34 Storm 17

This was also a game between a pair of 1995 playoff teams, although they didn't play each other like Orlando/New Jersey. Portland out gained Chicago 440-309, and while Melvin Driggers threw for 345 yards and 2 TDs, his 3 INTs hurt the team, as did 2 lost fumbles by David Smith. The Chicago defense also held the Storm to 2/10 on 3rd down, and returned one of Smith's fumbles for a TD early in the 4th to give them a 31-3 lead. At that point, Blake Bortles, I mean Driggers found Richard Robinson for a pair of long TDs as Robinson ended the day with 6 catches for 222 yards. The comeback fell short and Chicago gets the win.

Maulers 13 VooDoo 7

Neither team had much success on 3rd down, combining to convert 5/22, although both offenses showed some good things. New Orleans QB Ellis Soza saw his first regular season action with the VooDoo, and he completed 26/32 for 229 yards. The VooDoo were only able to put 7 points on the board however, as their running game wasn't quite as productive as Pittsburgh. The Maulers also started a first time QB, as Paul Marcum made his Maulers debut after being acquired in a trade with New Jersey. Marcum was 16/23 for 130 yards and a TD, and was supported by a pair of RBs who ran for 77 yards each. The Maulers had 2 first half FGs for a 6-0 lead, then trailed 7-6 after the VooDoo TD, so Marcum's scoring toss was the eventual game winner after a scoreless 4th.

Panthers 38 Invaders 3

Former Pittsburgh QB Will Allison is now leading the Michigan offense, and so far he seems to like it up north. Allison finished 28/34, 336 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT, producing a pair of 100 yard receivers. Michigan also ran the ball for 157 yards while holding Oakland to negative 8 yards on 19 carries. That total lack of running game made it hard to sustain drives, and while the passing game was efficient, it wasn't very productive. Andrew Moreno completed 21/26 for 153 yards and an INT as the Panthers win big at home.

(NY) Stars 31 Breakers 9

New York ran the ball just once all game, and why not when you have a WR like Albert Olson. Fresh off his record breaking 1995 season, Damien Oleary connected with Olson 15 times today for 206 yards and a TD. Oleary was 38/58 overall with 355 yards and 3 TD passes. Boston had just cut the lead to 24-6 in the 4th quarter when RB William Hall sealed the win with a 101 yard kickoff return for a TD. 

Wheels 12 Gunslingers 3

San Antonio QB Robert Fanelli threw 3 INTs while Detroit's Gabriel Flanagan threw just 1 as the offenses seemed to be playing hot potato. There were no TDs scored in this game and Detroit's Kent Olden made 4/5 FG attempts as Detroit wins a true "foot"ball game.

Gold 31 Steamer 0

Shreveport was shut out today, although it will be interesting to see how their 2 new players fit in. Steamer management obviously thinks they will help tremendously, given the price they paid for their services. Denver ran all over Shreveport today, gaining 221 on the ground on 46 carries. Jerry Murphy scored 2 TDs while Erik Younker ran for 141 yards and a TD to lead the Denver RBBC. QB Andrew Brewer only completed 50% of his passes and had a 1/2 TD/INT ratio, but the Gold defense and running game had his back.

Thunderbolts 19 Bell 13

Another defensive type game as Philadelphia broke an early 3-3 tie with an INT return for a TD by Jose Shea. There were a combined 6 trips into the red zone that produced 5 FGs as the lone offensive score was a 66 yard run by Cleveland's Howard Rouse. Thunderbolts QB Tony Romo threw 3 INTs in just 16 passes but Carlos Reed connected on 4 FGs to 2 for Steve Matthews and Cleveland gets the win.

Stallions 27 Wranglers 20

Arizona got their season started off on the right foot as William Haubert returned the opening kickoff 105 yard for the instant 7-0 lead. Ex Memphis QB Norman Maldonado ended up with a typical game for him as he finished 29/43, 321 yards, 3 TDs and 3 INTs, but he did lead the Stallions to 17 unanswered points for a 17-7 2nd qtr lead. Brian Carmichael tried to lead a comeback, and Arizona got within 24-17 by halftime, but the second half saw just 1 FG apiece and Birmingham holds on for the win.

Force 48 Blazers 26

Florida held the ball 37:39, converted 11/22 3rd downs, ran for 139 yards and had 460 total yards...and lost by 3 scores. How? Georgia QB Thomas Jacobi completed 27/34, 511 yards, 5 TDs and 1 INT while Glen Hampton smoked the Blazers defense with 420 yards and 4 TDs on 9 catches. Florida led 7-0, then Georgia scored 21 unanswered and led at the half 31-17. Florida got within 31-23 early in the 4th, but Jacobi to Hampton struck quickly to build the lead back to 15 and the defense sealed the victory by sacking Willie Graham, causing a fumble and returning it for a TD.

Showboats 24 Stars 0

Former RB Erik McNamee has taken over at QB for the now departed Norman Maldonado, and he completed 24/33 for 258 yards and 2 TDs to lead Memphis to victory. The Showboats defense allowed new Baltimore QB Stephen Ponder to complete a lot of underneath routes as he finished 23/29 for just 115 yards while also keeping the running game in check. Baltimore had bad field position all day and Memphis kept them out of the red zone and the end zone, shutting out the rebuilding Stars.

SaberCats 23 Outlaws 9

We had several defensive games in Week 1 and this game was among them. Each QB tossed a pair of INTs, but Rodney Richardson ran for 111 yards and a TD as San Jose had the better offense today. The SaberCats converted 8/16 3rd downs while holding Oklahoma to 1/11, and they enjoyed an 11 minute time of possession advantage. Oklahoma tried to stage a comeback, but they turned it over on each of their last 3 possessions, twice on downs as San Jose gets the win.

Bandits 22 Express 14

QB Nicholas Irvine made his debut for Tampa Bay today, and while he didn't fill the box score (22/39, 152 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT), it was a successful debut as the running game had the rookie's back. Gregory Rivera ran for 96 yards and Charles Granier had 76, and somewhere in New Jersey, Antonio Martinez is asking why he never had that running support. Los Angeles scored first, taking a 7-0 lead on a David Tavarez pass to Corey Gibbons. Tampa Bay got a FG and an Irvine TD pass for a 10-7 lead before Irvine threw a pick six to Richard Blanco, giving the Express a 14-10 lead. Tampa Bay cut it to 14-13 by halftime and 3 second half FGs gave the Bandits the win. Los Angeles had opportunities, but they had 4 turnovers of their own, including 3 lost fumbles. Mario Price also missed 2 FG attempts and the offense ran out of time as they closed in on a potential game tying score.

Hawaiians 23 Sun 7

Honolulu started fast in 1995, going 2-0 before losing the next 6 to derail their season. They also started 1996 fast, taking an early 7-0 lead thanks to a pick six by William McEntire. QB Derek Henry followed that up with a pair of TD passes as the Hawaiians led 20-0 at the half. Southern California got very little out of their running game and QB Harold Angulo isn't accurate enough to carry an offense on his back. Angulo did throw a late TD pass to avoid the shutout as Honolulu wins.